Durmstrang
by TheDragonArts101
Summary: Nardrick, is an oddity amongst his classmates because of his adventurous spirit, strange habits, and odd explorations. Follow his adventures as he discovers the secrets of Durmstrang, and it's history.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: I've condenced the chapters to make them a little longer. Hope you enjoy!=D

Nardrick swept across the moonlit lawns of Durmstrang castle with unsurpassed stealth. His black winter cloak was drawn in around himself as a measure of camaflouge, though winter was still months away. As Nardrick paused in the shadows of the school's garden walls, he took pleasure in mentaly noting the many excurrsions he'd taken this direction, and the cosequinces he'd avoided. After all, he was breaking a rule that came with severe punishment if broken. His pleasing thoughts were cast aside as he observed the grounds. He was huddled against the southeastern corner of the garden, its twenty foot enchanted walls looming above him. Nardrick cast his eyes across the sloping lawns, starting with an inspection of the Lake, on the eastern edge of the castle. The Lake lay unmoving, like a giant mirror layed flat. The deep, black, creature infested waters reflected the half-moon darkly, and though Nardrick couldn't see it now, he knew that on the far side of the Lake it emptied into a large river.

Moored in the shallows, meerly two stone throws from the Lake's rocky shore, floated the Lady of the Lake. Durmstrang was famously known for its enchanted midevil themed ship capable of diving underwater and its enormous capacity. These functions had initialy been installed for means of stealth and secrecy, but in time they also came to serve as ways of protection from the muggle eye. Nardrick rememberd his first trip upon the ship. It had been his first year at the school, in fact it was his first introduction to the life of school. He thought back to the letter and package that had arrived nearly two months before his eleventh birthday. It stated his acceptance to the school, wich was of no surprise, and provided him with a list of required and optional supplies. It also included a map of an air route to Mannheim from his small farm house just south of Bremen, in the Lower Saxony landscapes. Nardrick understood the meaning of the air route, as both his parents and brother, Ethan, went to Durmtrang, and quickly opened the box that had arrived with it.

Nardrick's thoughts were cut short by a lonely howl cutting through the still tension of the warm, late summer, night air. The image of a slitghtly used, school owned carpet, packed in a cardboard box quickly faded from his mind. Instead his mind flipped to the source of the sound. The cry he'd heard came from a leopard-backed wolf, a creature know to wizarding locals for its resemblance to a snow leopard. The wolf always feeds most heavily during the half-moon, and though its primary choice isn't human, it still would attack one if the need arose. Throwing caution to the wind, Nardrick let his inspection continue on to the castle.

The castle was more of a fortress than castle. It looked like something taken out of a mid-evil history book. Squat battlements surrounded the towering building at it's center, and in his mind, Nardrick saw the flat lawns that encompased the school building. At each of the four corners of the battlements rose a small tower, currently abandoned, but previously manned by sentries in the early days of the castle's life. Nardrick squinted towards the building at the center of the castle. It was nearly twelve stories tall at the tip of it's tallest tower, and the main body of the structure was eight floors. The dungeon floors went down four levels, the bottom of wich, was off limits. Nardrick new why, but did not dwell on the matter, as he was in a hurry.

After noting with satisfaction that all the lights were off and, asumably, everyone asleep, Nardrick slipped from the deep shadows of the garden wall. Using the cover of his dark cloak to help him, he made his way towards a looming forest, it's tallest trees reaching nearly three-hundred feet. Shadows hid the forest under a dark black blanket, obscuring any veiw of what lay beyond. Nardrick approached the edge of the forest with caution while remembering the howl he'd heard before. Another howl pierced the night, as if punctuating Nardrick's thoughts. Before entering the edge of the forest he muttered quietly, "_Lumos Maxima._" Little did he know he had been seen by a keen-eyed onlooker.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter

Craig Fridhoch passed a hand through his long dark brown hair, pausing when it reached the back of his head to pull out the ponytail that held his hair tight. He casually pulled a brush through it with his other hand, straightening out the crimp the small black band had made after a days worth of wear. Craig was slightly taller than his classmates (wich only seemed to intimidate them more), and though his body's build was thin, every inch of it was hardened muscle. Craig used these muscles many times a day to shove other kids' heads in toilets or dangle them from a sixth story window after they look at him funny.

Craig would admit wholeheartedly to anyone that he enjoyed these tasks, possibly even to the headmaters and headmistreses, and this attitude had earned him his bad reputation. He enjoyed the fear he impossed on others, but also wished that he could show a nicer side once in a while without being mocked and shamed. He ruined those chances though, on about his third week at the school. Another first year had bumped into him in the hallway. When Craig looked up he'd seen that it was a kid from his previous class, potions, and he smiled in a friendly manner. He remembered the boy's name as Ethan. Ehtan smirked slightly before bending over and snatching up the things Craig had dropped. When handing them back he said loudly, "'_Nice job failing your first quiz!_'".

Craig had turned red and run from the hall, but found Ethan later that day on the south lawns, and hexed the boy to a tree. The whole school heard of the incident, and the three hours it took the Ministry of Magic to remove him from the two-hundred year old beech tree. From there Craig's reputation went straight down hill.

All of this ran through Craig's mind as he finished brushing his hair and dressed in his evening garments. He walked softly towards a window by his bed and looked out upon the lawns below, gazing at the gently blowing trees, and thinking of what he would tell his Duelling teacher in detention tommorow about the boy he'd sent to the hospital wing. It was only when Craig had come to a decision when a flash of movement caught his eye.

Craig stared fixedly out his window, looking for another movement to confirm his thoughts that someone was out on lawns. He was curious to see who it might be. His eyes flashed from one patch of shadows to the next. Multiple times he thought he could see someone, but it was hard to tell with the shadows of the trees moving because of the wind. Three minutes passed, and Craig was beginning to get sleepy, when another movement caught his attention. This time he was sure he saw something, and as he squinted towards a tree about halfway between the garden and forest, he witnessed a figure emerging from the shadows. The darkly cloaked figure stole silently and quikly towards the forest, and paused on the fringes.

Seconds later a bright spot of light appeared, illuminating the figure, and the ground around them. For a brief second the figure turned to look back at the castle and Craig caught a glimpse of their face. It was a third year from the Dracheseith house, and the younger brother of the aforementioned Ethan. Remembering back to the humiliating hallway scene spurred a small emotion in the pit of Craig's stomach. Within a split moment the feeling had shot through his entire body, causing his blood to boil and his face to grow hot. With anger, and a thirst for revenge, Craig pulled on his school cloak and headed straight for the door of the fifth year boy's dormitory.

Quickly descending the spiraling cobblestoned steps in his evening slippers, Craig arrived in the Katzenaugen common room in a flash of deep rage. Only two other fellow Katzenaugens were present in the room, and attempted to cower into the wall as he swept past. Craig lashed out at them as he passed, catching one in the nose, probably breaking it. Before either of them could react he was out of the small, dimly lit common room and into the hall outside.

Craig walked briskly along the tiny passageway leading to and from the Katzenaugen common room, reaching a suit of armor that shone dimly, even in the non-existent light of the night. With seeming ease he rotated the armor upon it's stand and stepped fluidly through the whole that appeared behind it. He was now standing in a dark, dank chamber with a tapestry hanging on the far wall. He stalked over to it and paused to listen for footsteps on the other side. After hearing only silence Craig pushed through the tapestry and found himself in the fourth story corridor on the right side. As the musty old tapestry rippled in his wake, he continued on down the corridor.

Next Craig descended carefully to the third floor, hiding in every nook and crany upon the stair case on his way down. Once reaching the third floor he took left into a side hallway where he found a less used, spiraling staircase that he followed halfway down before dissapearing behind another tapestry. Behind this one Craig found the houself stairway, wich he new led to the kitchens beneath the Dining Hall. In another minute he had stepped into the deserted kitchens, now close to breaking into a run. Only the sound of footsteps stopped him. Craig froze in place, listening intently for any signs that the person might be headed his way. He breathed a sigh of relief when they faded away as, whoever it was walked past the kitchens.

With more caution, Craig proceeded into the corridor outside the kitchens and descended a flagstone staircase onto the second dungeon floor. With two more floors to go and a rage that still boiled in his blood, he quikened his steps, ducking behind a stone statue halfway down the hallway. Behind the statue was a sort of slide that led directly to the fourth of the dungeon floors. Craig descended in a rush of excitement.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter

The shadows from the surrounding trees pressed down, suffocating the light emitting from Nardrick's wand. Nardrick moved at a slower more relaxed pace now that he was under the cover of the forest, and out of the open. He enjoyed the dark, quiet calm that the forest radiated and wasn't afraid of the noises that came from deeper within. He had a knack for knowing when he was in danger, and had only once felt endangered while in the forest. Thankfully though, he was protected by the spirits, wich he had befriended two years earlier.

* * *

Nardrick had entered the forest on a dare from his older brother in an angst to prove his bravery. As part of the dare he had to take one hundred steps into the forest, and his brother had given him a muggle pedometer. Nardrick walked tentatively into the dark shadows of the trees, and glanced down constantly to make sure the muggle devise was working. He watched carefully at the numbers as they clicked higher, and he became so absorbed in the electronic mechanism, that he was scared nearly to death when a voice spoke from beyond a cluster of large cedars. If he had been looking down he would have seen the numbers jump up eight steps. The voice ended up belonging to one of the spirits of the forest, and after inquiring a shaking Nardrick about the nature of his visit, the spirit helped him find his way back out of the forest.

He had discovered that, contrary to popular belief, the spirits were friendly, nonthreatening beings. So led him to start making these night time endeavors. Nardrick looked around at these thoughts, wondering why none of his spirit friends had yet come to greet him. As he puzzled this, an uneasy feeling spread from his stomach, making the hair on his neck stand on edge.

Nardrick crept deeper into the forest, headed for the clearing where the spirits normally held their nightly festivities. He knew it had to be only about a hundred yards further, and as came closer, he could see the glow of the spirits, a dim purple shade. Nardrick felt a small lump in his throat. Purple was the color of mourning, and it was fact that on occassion, a spirit was taken to the underworld, though this usually called for a much more prominant shade of purple. Nardrick was feet from the clearing, still unable to see it clearly because of the undergrowth, when a strong, human hand flew out of the darknes, and grabbed him by the collar of his cloak.

Nardrick gave a small, muffled yelp before he was pulled backwards into some of the thicker underbrush. He felt himself being dragged a few feet, before the person let him crumple to the ground. He looked up quickly and felt the fear return to him. It was Craig Fridhoch. The school bully and an enemy of his older brother, Ethan. Nardrick swallowed hard and stuttered despite his hardest efforts.

"H-h-hi t-th-there C-Craig. What brings you h-h-here s-so late at n-night?"

"Don't question me you little freak.", Craig growled back, and Nardrick recieved a hard kick in the gut.

"Now get up and tell me why you're out of bed after hours.", Craig commanded. Complying, Nardrick quickly got to his feet, standing before the tall, large bully and explaining quickly.

"I only came to visit the spirits. They're actually very friendly."

"Don't call those devils friendly!", spat Craig, "And that's not a good enough reason.", he added with a grin. He reached for a fallen branch and brandished it at Nardrick.

"And it's obvious that you've decided to wander around the grounds, wich is FORBIDEN!", Craig nearly yelled the last word as he bought the branch crashing into the side of the other boy's head. Nardrick collapsed to the ground, seeing spots, and nearly loosing consciousness. Nardrick made a cry as he was hit, but the forest was empty of help.

"What's worse is that you decided to come to the forest, wich we all know is FORBIDEN!" This time Craig did yell the final word as he struck Nardrick again. It landed hard on his ribs, and the air was forced out of Nardrick's lungs. He sputtered and gasped for breath, trying to refill his lungs. He began to see a puple-ish haze. Nardrick heard Craig grunt, and he looked up in time to see Craig raise the branch again. He rolled out of the way before it could do any harsh damage. The branch glanced against his leg cutting into his flesh, and a small trickle of blood began to roll down his calf.

"I think you need a few more beatings-" Craig began, but he was interupted by a strong, deep voice from behind him.

"I think not. And you really should give me that stick, it can seriously hurt someone."


End file.
